At long, long last, Google Play gains promo codes for apps and games
Google has finally caught up with Apple, and is now offering support for promo codes in Google Play. This is a feature that has long been available to iOS users, but it's only after years of complaining that Android users are, at long last, being afforded the same luxury.
Oddly, Google has decided to place some restrictions on how promo codes can be used. While developers can generate codes that can be used to purchase apps or to make in-app purchases, they are limited to creating 500 codes per quarter.
Microsoft offers free Office 365 subscription to Lumia 950, Lumia 950 XL users
If you are looking for another reason to purchase one of Microsoft's Windows 10 Mobile flagships, the software giant has just announced that it is now offering a free, one-year subscription to Office 365 Personal to Lumia 950 and Lumia 950 XL users.
The offer cannot only be redeemed by new customers, but also by existing users. There is one caveat though: it only applies to users in a select number of markets. Here is what you need to know.
IT workers want an early retirement
It seems as nobody wants to work, and that’s a real bummer. Everyone wants to retire early, but that’s a particularly important problem in the tech industry, as it is already lacking staff, and people leaving early will only cause even more trouble.
According to a new report by Randstad Technologies, almost half (49 percent) of all tech workers want to retire before state pension age. In other industries, that percentage is at 35.
Majority of Windows 10 users are happy with the OS
When we look at how many PCs across the globe run Windows 10, we see Microsoft's latest operating system having a relatively modest usage share of around 10 percent. That is even though it is offered as a free upgrade from Windows 7 and Windows 8.1, both of which have remained more popular so far.
However, things are quite different in US, where a new IDC survey claims that nearly 30 percent of PC users have embraced Windows 10. That figure may not accurately represent the entire PC user base in the country, due to the nature of the survey, but it certainly can be seen as a vote of confidence for both Windows 10 and Microsoft.
BT's merger with EE gains official clearance -- and industry objections
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has given BT the go-ahead for a takeover of EE. The merger of the largest mobile provider in the UK with the country's largest landline provider creates a giant that rivals are concerned about.
The newly conceived communications behemoth has fingers in not only mobile and landline pies, but also TV and broadband. While the CMA's decision is not a surprise, rivals such as Vodafone, TalkTalk and Sky have voiced their disapproval, saying that the merger will have a negative impact on competition.
Best Windows apps this week
One-hundred and sixty-three in a series. Welcome to this week's overview of the best apps and games released for Windows 8.x and Windows 10 in the past seven days.
Just like last week, the second week of the year 2016 was slow in terms of new releases or updates.
Proxies and VPNs to be blocked by Netflix
Netflix is set to clamp down on VPNs and proxy tools used to access its services. A large proportion of Netflix content is region specific, and to get around licensing issues it has become increasingly common for people to spoof their location so they can watch their desired videos.
Netflix says it is doing what it can to ensure that people around the world have access to the same content, but until this is officially the case, the company is looking to enforce geographic restrictions more stringently. In the coming weeks, anyone who uses a proxy is likely to find it impossible to access content that is not licensed for viewing in their country.
Security vulnerabilities, exploits are on the rise
It’s been a busy year for security firms everywhere -- cyber-attacks, malware, ransomware and other malicious online behavior reached new heights in 2015.
Those are the results of a report by Bromium, a company which deals in threat isolation in service of data breach prevention. Its report, entitled Endpoint Exploitation Trends 2015 analyzed the security risks of popular websites and software.
AMD unveils ARM-based Opteron A1100 processor lineup
It appears that AMD is looking to expand into other areas of the processor chip market, after announcing its first ARM-based processor for enterprise customers.
Named Opteron A1100, the processor is based on the reduced instruction set computing (RISC) CPU design strategy that dominates the mobile market due to its reduced power consumption.
Catch the NFL playoffs on TuneIn and enjoy the first 24 hour team channel
The wild card games are out of the way now and this weekend the NFL heads into the next round to find out which teams will square off in the respective championship matchups. Can the Patriots repeat? It's hard to say, especially since the squad limped into the playoffs, though a first week bye may have provided some recovery time.
If you aren't near a TV then you can still catch all of the action from Peyton Manning, Tom Brady and the rest. You'll be doing so via the radio broadcasts, but that's not too bad since you'll still have a play by play coverage option.
SCOSCHE announces goBAT 12000 Rugged portable backup battery
My smartphone is my life. Understandably, some people will decry my love for an inanimate object, but it is my window to the world. Quite frankly, I know that I'm not alone with my feeling towards the device. Between things like social media, news and email, to name a few, it is my constant companion. It is an essential tool for both business and personal needs.
While my iPhone 6s Plus has great battery life, few smartphones are up to the demands of active users. This is why USB battery packs are so popular nowadays. Hell, even Apple recently released a battery case. Today, SCOSCHE announces the goBAT 12000 Rugged portable backup battery. While the 12,000mAh product is not unique in its function or capacity, its rugged nature makes it very intriguing.
Microsoft integrates Skype into Slack
Slack is the current communication darling for many small and medium businesses. The SMB-focused communication and collaboration solution is pretty simple -- it is similar to internet relay chat. Just like IRC, you join a channel and have text-based communications with other people. Where it differs, however, is its native ability to integrate with other tools. In other words, its potential is arguably greater than many competitors.
Today, Microsoft announces that it is enhancing Slack in a very special way. The Windows-maker releases a preview of Skype integration for the aforementioned communication solution. The team here at BetaNews uses Slack, so of course, I had to give it a go.
Qualcomm and TDK announce joint venture valued at $3bn
Qualcomm and Japanese tech firm TDK Corporation have announced a joint venture, valued by Reuters at approximately $3 billion (£2bn).
The new company, named RF360 Holdings, will be building modules needed to communicate wirelessly with mobile devices and IoT devices. Those modules include the RF front-end (RFFE) and RF filters, the two companies said in a press release.
The first MIPS processor celebrates 30th birthday
Here’s something to make you feel really, really old. The first commercially available microprocessor chip was created in January 1986 -- exactly 30 years ago.
Back then, a team of Stanford University researchers and Silicon Valley veterans joined forces and created something that completely changed the way we see computers today. If it weren’t for these guys, who knows what modern computers would have looked like today.
Google Now launcher enables auto rotate, forces single icon size
If you use Google Now launcher, you may have noticed that there is no option that can enable auto rotation. While this is not a problem when you are holding the device in portrait mode, it obviously makes landscape mode quite inconvenient at times.
The problem is that the launcher does not follow the Android-wide setting for auto rotation, and instead sticks to displaying everything in portrait mode. However, with a new update, that can now be changed.
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